Spared jail, crooks with up to 449 convictions
A HARDENED criminal with 449 convictions walked free from court even after committing another offence, new figures show.
Despite the appalling record of lawbreaking, the villain was allowed to roam the streets because a judge imposed a fine rather than a prison sentence in 2016.
Ministry of Justice statistics from 2016, the latest available, show burglars, thieves, fraudsters and drug dealers are being spared jail even after being found guilty of repeat offences.
Instead of locking the criminals up, judges handed out non-custodial punishment such as community sentences, suspended jail sentences, fines and conditional discharges.
The figures, uncovered by Tory MP Philip Davies using Parliamentary questions, will fuel claims that the courts are handing out the punishments to save money and reduce overcrowding in jails.
The revelations come after an investigation by the Daily Mail exposed how judges are allowing serious offenders to walk free, despite concerns about ‘ Wild West Britain’.
Mr Davies, a former member of the Commons’ Justice Select Committee, said the
‘It is about time we rebalance the law’
findings were ‘outrageous’. He said: ‘The first role of Government should be to protect the public and that means putting criminals behind bars.
‘Law-abiding citizens will be shocked that despite being found guilty of in some cases hundreds of the same crimes, these criminals are not behind bars.
‘It is about time we rebalance the law and prioritise the needs of victims and potential victims.’
Among the examples revealed were a burglar guilty of his 54th break-in given a suspended sentence and a thief with 171 theft offences on his rap sheet walking free from court with no punishment.
A fraudster with 223 previous fraud convictions was handed a fine while a thug who had breached an anti-social behaviour order for the 133rd time was also allowed to walk free.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘The Secretary of State has been clear that serious criminals will continue to face lengthy prison sentences to protect the public and keep communities safe.’